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Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

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Use this step by step guid for tips on how to organize a Holy Land travel tour group

Step 1
Planning a trip to the Holy Land, deciding when to go

Consider the following, and deciding on a itinerary.

How far in advance should I begin planning a trip
We suggest a minimum of six to nine months before a tour departure, however ideally if you are new to hosting travel tour groups, one year in advance provides time to prepare, promote and generate interest, as well as allow time for your community, church, and friends to prepare for the necessary vacation time and finances. The key is to plan far enough ahead so you can accomplish your goals and carry out and accomplish your plans with the departure deadline in mind.

When is the best time to travel
It’s up to you, you more then anyone knows your church, and community schedules, however many Christian groups prefer to schedule their trip at a time other then the busy holiday seasons. For example one of the most beautiful times to visit the holy land is right after Easter holiday. You also may want to consider the weather, from November to March Israel has cooler temperatures and some rain. June to August are very warm. Give us a call, we can help you decide on the best time for you and your group to travel.

Decide on a itinerary
Deciding on a itinerary is best when considering your vision of your group journey, what kind of experience do you want to provide? Do you only want to focus on Christianity and bible sites? Do you want to provide a Christian experience as well as a connection of the land, people, and history of Israel. Do you want to include other recreational activities? We can help you customize a special itinerary just for your group, or select our signature itinerary, perfectly designed and planned for Holy Land Christian group travel.

Step 2
Get the word out! Promote your special Holy Land travel event

There’s nothing more powerful then the recruitment of members by other members, a social-network of common interest. To accomplish this, the first essential step is to identify individuals or a team in your ministry that can drive the overall process. No special skills are required, however interpersonal skills and enthusiasm are a must. Often, the pastor or ministry leader will select people from his staff or congregation to help mobilize and coordinate the travel event.

Set goals and enlist support
Once you have set a team in place, set and establish goals for your travel tour date, as an example, “Our ministry will send a group of 20 church members in our fall trip.” To set realistic goals perhaps speak to other tour leader or organizers from your ministry or other ministries with experience in organizing travel tour groups to the holy land. Now that you have goals, enlist as much help and support from a enthusiastic member in your ministry who is passionate about the trip to the holy land. This support can be crucial in getting the word out about your trip.

Promote and be creative
In order to promote your travel tour trip to Israel, you will need effective marketing materials. We can provide to you an excellent Christian Leader tool kit, complete with sample letters, promotional flyers, power point presentations, videos, banners, which can all be used for your own ministry.

Be creative, here are just some ways you can get the word out!

01Create adds in your weekly Sunday church bulletin with a clear call to action, “Travel with us to the land of the bible, contact John in our parish office."

02Post colorful posters and flyers in your ministry, church, and Christian schools, again with clear call to action.

03Man a information table after Sunday services along with flyers, posters, and other marketing material.

05Attract members by letting your community know who has signed up for the trip.

06If you have a website, create a page dedicated to promoting the trip date, and encourage all to “Like” it and share it on social media.

Step 3
Be consistent, and turn interested members into committed travelers

Set a schedule of announcements about your travel tour date, besides from spreading the word, it is crucial to obtain names and contacts of individuals whom show even a slight interest in going. This list is a great tool to make future trips much easier.

Create an easy way to sign up for your trip or call to action, gather sign up sheets with contact information including names, address, phone numbers, and e-mails. Provide an email address where all enquiries can be made, and with a follow up response provided immediately. Provide a reservation and call to action to us your partner, for example, “Sign up today, call Israel Tourism Consultants at 1-800-933-4421 or e-mail them and ask to join the United Methodist Church trip on October.” We’ll take care of all the reservation details, with one simple phone call or e-mail from your member.

Step 4
Ask for commitment, retain participants

We can work with you with setting up a group deposit amount and deadline, and we can execute this request when setting up a call to action into our call center. You can also collect this amount from your individual travelers, and we can work out the details on amount and deadlines.

Retain travelers, means ensure that those people who registered follow up and actually travel. You can do this by communicating regularly, send out any new information on your trip, such as, insight about the trip new participants, provide travel trip details including itineraries, trip route, packing lists, and special customized activities if any for your group.

Step 5
Enjoy and experience the land of the Bible

Walk where Jesus walked, in the Holy Land! Keep our local representative and professional guide contact information with you at all times. Take a photos, make sure someone is capturing all the highlights, post pictures on a blog, and encourage members to post pictures in facebook and other social medias, create your own video, use a camcorder to capture memories from your trip and promotional material for future trips. Interview participants along the way asking them to comment on their experience.

Most important take time to reflect and pray and read from the Bible, to provide a spiritual group experience.

Step 5
Talk about your journey to the Holy Land

After your return from the Holy Land, you will be poised to organize regular trips, and you can make it a itegral part of your ministry. Build on your successful trips, by creating enthusiasam and excitement talking about your holy land experience to your ministry. Take time to thank your participants by writting letters to participating members, and the group team leaders. Write about your journey in your bulletins, newsletters, email broadcast and websites. Encourage your participants to share and "Like" their experiences, photos, and video on facebook and other social media. Set up a post trip meeting, to share the highlights of your trip, and set a date for a new trip to the Holy Land.